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    Home » Main Dish Recipes » Casseroles » Keto Meatball Casserole

    Keto Meatball Casserole

    Gluten & Grain Free RecipesLow Carb & Keto RecipesTrim Healthy Mama Recipes

    Published: Jan 5, 2021 by Taryn

    This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
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    pinterest image for keto meatball parmesan casserole
    pinterest image for keto meatball parmesan casserole

    If you are looking for a new family dinner this Keto Meatball Casserole should be it. Juicy, flavorful meatballs baked until golden and then covered with tomato sauce and cheese. My low carb Meatball Parmesan Casserole was a hit with my family and should be a hit with yours. This easy family dinner is also low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, and a THM S recipe.

    meatball casserole in baking dish

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    Free Guide! Feed a Family on a Low Carb Diet

    In this free 5-day email series learn all my tips for incorporating a low-carb lifestyle into the life of your family.

    Why a Meatball Parmesan?

    When I was in college I was still a vegetarian. One of my favorite meals from the dining hall takeout was a vegetarian Italian meatball parmesan sub. I have no idea what those "meat"balls were made of, and I probably don't want to know, but it was terriffic.

    It was smothered in tomato sauce and topped with provolone. I'd look forward to Tuesdays so I could get dining hall take-out and my favorite meatball parmesan sub. Almost fifteen years later that is the only dining hall food I recall and that is my inspiration for my cheesy meatball casserole.

    This casserole with meatballs was a perfect subtitute. I could eat this Italian meatball casserole recipe twice a week for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. We enjoy it with a side salad, vegetables, or any of the main low carb pasta options out there such as palm noodles and zoodles.

    Spoon of cheesy Meatball from Meatball casserole dish below

    Ingredients in the Meatballs

    To make this meatball casserole you only need a handful of common ingredients:

    Ground Meat - I typically use ground turkey but ground beef, ground pork, or ground chicken work as well.

    Ground Sausage - I use sweet Italian sausage but hot Italian sausage is fine or a combination of the two. If you are doing low carb or keto just watch for added sugar in the sausage.

    Egg - The egg is the binder in this in addition to the grated parmesan cheese.

    Shredded Zucchini - You can't taste it and it gives a lot of moisture to the meatballs.

    Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - You can also use a blend of Italian cheese.

    Keto Marinara Sauce - I like to make my own but any tomato sauce without added sugar is fine.

    Spices - I prefer to use dried onion, garlic, and basil in these. You can use Italian seasoning in place of the basil if you prefer the flavor of that.

    Salt & Pepper

    Expert Tip - you can make the meatballs ahead of time, cook until just fully cooked, and then freeze them. Just place the frozen meatballs in the casserole dish, bake until thawed, and then top with the sauce and cheese.

    ingredients in a large glass measuring bowl

    How to make a Keto Meatball Casserole

    Step 1: I just dump all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix it by hand. In the photo above you can see all the different layered ingredients for the low carb meatballs in my meatball parmesan. For a bowl of raw meat, it looks pretty nice.

    raw meat formed into balls lined on a the bottom of a white baking dish close up

    Step 2: Next, scoop the meatballs. You should end up with 24 meatballs. Bake until they are almost completely cooked. I shoot for 155 on my meat thermometer.

    small sized meatballs baked in the bottom of a white casserole dish

    Step 3: Top with sauce and cheese and finish baking. For the best golden brown cheese on top broil the low carb meatball casserole for 2-3 minutes, watching it carefully.

    shredded cheese covering meatballs and sauce layered in a white casserole dish

    A Cookie Scoop for Meatballs?

    Yup! Here the meatballs are after forming them. I use a large cookie scoop to simplify the process. Since there is no need to get up to your elbows in raw meat this is a great task to get the kids involved in. Mine are pros at scooping low carb meatballs by now. Make sure to also check out the video below.

    Do I Have to use Zucchini in the Keto Meatball Casserole?

    That hidden zucchini in my low carb meatballs is my sneaky mom favorite addition. My kids don't even notice it's in there. If you really want to hide it you can peel the green skin off first.

    If you would like to substitute another veggie for the zucchini I would recommend chopped spinach. You can also just leave the green stuff out and serve this with some Caesar salad, green beans, or roasted broccoli. The low carb meatball parmesan will still work.

    Can I Freeze Keto Meatballs?

    Absolutely! This easy meatball recipe also freezes really well! Go ahead and make a double batch and then next time you want an easy Meatball Casserole just thaw, dump into the baking dish, and cover with sauce and cheese. Meatball Parmesan in a jiffy!

    I love to always have a bag of low carb homemade meatballs in the freezer for nights that I don't want to cook. Those and frozen taco meat have saved us from spending too much money on take-out more than once.

    What Casserole Dish Should I Use?

    I need to give a little shout out to the Emile Henry ceramic company for this beautiful casserole dish. I absolutely love it. It is gorgeous, distributed the heat evenly for this casserole, and washed up in a cinch.

    This sausage parmigiana is also a great choice if you need more dinner recipes! Or for a vegetarian version sub in cauliflower and try my Cauliflower Parmesan.

    close up of the keto meatball casserole in a baking dish

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    Spoon of cheesy Meatball from Meatball casserole dish below

    Keto Meatball Casserole

    If you need family dinner this Meatball Casserole should be it. Flavorful low carb meatballs covered in sauce & cheese for the best meatball parmesan ever.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Course: dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 382
    Author: Taryn

    Equipment

    Large 9x13 Casserole Dish

    Ingredients

    Meatball Ingredients:

    • 1 lb ground turkey
    • 1 lb Italian sausage
    • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
    • â…“ cup grated or shredded parmesan
    • 1 shredded zucchini about 1 cup
    • 1 egg
    • 2 teaspoon dried minced onion
    • 2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
    • 2 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Casserole Ingredients:

    • 1 cup marinara sauce
    • 8 oz shredded cheese (I used a two cheese pizza blend of mozzarella and provolone)
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray
    • Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and mix thoroughly. Make about 24 meatballs and put them in the casserole dish. 
    • Bake for 30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Carefully drain the cooking liquid from the casserole dish.
    • Top with the sauce and cheese. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 
    • Optional: I broiled for 3-4 minutes at the end to toast the cheese. Watch it carefully if you put it under the broiler. The cheese can burn easily.

    Notes

    Nutrition: the nutrition facts are for one serving. This recipe has 8 servings. Each serving is 3 meatballs with sauce and cheese and has 4 NET carbs.
    Substitutions: you can use any type of ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, chicken) and any type of Italian sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey) in these meatballs.
    You may also omit the zucchini or sub in chopped spinach if you prefer.
    Make sure you choose a no sugar added marinara or make your own!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 3meatballs | Calories: 382 | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 734mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 477IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @joyfilledeats or tag #joyfilledeats!

    Originally Published September 23, 2016. Revised and Republished January 5, 2021.

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    Comments

    1. Pam says

      June 30, 2022 at 3:00 pm

      I always use diced mushrooms in my meatballs to bind them, so I did that instead of the egg and zucchini this time, also. The rest is pretty much the same as my Keto lasagna minus the sliced zucchini. I cook the meatballs in the air fryer. Quick, simple, and delicious.5 stars

      Reply
    2. Faith Rivera says

      June 23, 2022 at 12:18 pm

      This is the best keto recipe I have tried so far! Amazing flavor. I do like my sauce so I add a whole jar of sauce instead of a cup. Thank you for this recipe. Now one of my favorites.5 stars

      Reply
    3. ashlie gossett says

      May 22, 2022 at 8:53 pm

      this is good!5 stars

      Reply
    4. Deanna says

      May 21, 2022 at 10:43 am

      My family loved these!5 stars

      Reply
    5. Janice says

      April 27, 2022 at 5:48 pm

      I give this recipe 5 stars for simplicity and flavour, I love the adaptation of other styles of same recipe5 stars

      Reply
    6. Melanie says

      March 22, 2022 at 10:30 pm

      This recipe was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! The entire family Loved it even my 6yr old son who is super picky. Followed recipe, even with the zucchini and it was so flavorful and filling. Will definitely make this again!5 stars

      Reply
    7. Steph says

      March 20, 2022 at 10:14 pm

      My husband and I loved this recipe. I ordered groceries so my Italian sausage was over 1#, but it still worked and I had to mix on the counter because my bowl was not large enough. I also was able to freeze about 20 meatballs for another meal.
      I made with a homemade low carb marinara, mixed your recipe with another I had found. I also used provolone slices on the top instead of shredded cheese.5 stars

      Reply
    8. MJ says

      February 21, 2022 at 3:48 pm

      So yummy. Will definitely be making again, but reduce salt to 1/2 tsp.5 stars

      Reply
    9. Tommie Hargus says

      February 17, 2022 at 8:57 pm

      I made this recipe tonight. We loved it. This will be in a weekly or every 2 week rotation for us. I shredded my own cheese. I just think it melts better.
      The recipe was easy to follow.5 stars

      Reply
    10. Debbie says

      February 16, 2022 at 1:37 pm

      So delicious and my husband even approved! Served with a side of broccoli and one serving of meatballs(3 meatballs). Ver satisfying!5 stars

      Reply
    11. Lana Reedy says

      February 13, 2022 at 2:33 am

      I made these Meatballs last night. They were fantastic!! I left out the zucchini ( I didn't have one ), and used ground beef instead of Turkey. From the very first bite they were a hit. Thank you so much for this recipe. We loved them!! I will most definitely be making these again.5 stars

      Reply
    12. Asha says

      February 08, 2022 at 8:19 pm

      I made this for my family using your sauce recipe, they loved it so much I have to make it again! It’s a keeper recipe that I know I will go back to over and over.5 stars

      Reply
    13. Mary J says

      February 08, 2022 at 3:41 pm

      I made this last night and it was so good! I added more pasta sauce but other than that I followed the recipe and they turned out great. Next time I will reduce salt to 1/2 tsp. I will definitely be making again! Thanks5 stars

      Reply
    14. Holly says

      January 23, 2022 at 8:08 pm

      Delicious! Even my picky daughter liked it, which was a win!5 stars

      Reply
    15. Jaimie W. says

      January 23, 2022 at 6:37 pm

      This is so good! I make this and eat it and the rest of my family eats it over noodles.5 stars

      Reply
    16. Janet Kilgore says

      January 20, 2022 at 11:07 pm

      Kids favorite! Quick, easy and flavorful.5 stars

      Reply
    17. Crystin Gulledge says

      January 20, 2022 at 6:41 pm

      This looks amazing!5 stars

      Reply
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